Vehicles may include a variety of airbags deployable during vehicle impacts to absorb energy from occupants of the vehicles during the impact. The airbag may be a component of an airbag assembly including a base supporting the airbag, and an inflation device in communication with the airbag for inflating the airbag from an uninflated position to an inflated position. The airbag assemblies may be supported on a steering wheel of the vehicle, an instrument panel of the vehicle, a headliner of the vehicle, etc.
The vehicle may include an impact sensing system in communication with the airbag assembly for sensing a vehicle impact and instructing the inflation device to inflate the airbag when a vehicle impact is sensed. The impact sensing system may sense the direction of the impact and may selectively inflate, or not inflate, certain airbags of the vehicle when an impact is sensed based on the type and magnitude of impact that is sensed, e.g., based on direction, magnitude, etc.
Vehicles are subject to a variety of impact tests. These impact tests may include those standardized by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Agency (NHTSA). These impact tests may include, for example, oblique impact tests. One such test is the small overlap rigid barrier (SORB) test in which the vehicle is impacted in the front left corner of the vehicle at an oblique angle with a rigid barrier. In this test, the test dummy in the driver seat is urged forwardly and toward the driver side door of the vehicle. Another type of impact test is the angular impact test, in which the test dummy in the driver seat is urged in a cross-vehicle direction toward the driver side door of the vehicle.